hereafter
by YNK
Summary: Submission, SM Monthly Livejournal Community OTP Contest, February 2007. Theme: Reaction. A glimpse of events during and after the Marine Cathedral. Heavily inspired by the manga Saiyuki, written by Minekura Kazuya. Note: Format doesn't work here, sorry


hereafter by Ducky

Uranus, you understand that no matter what happens we will acquire the talismans.

From here on in, we'll ignore each other's danger and you'll move on by yourself.

here

'Why did you remind me?'

Haruka wondered idly, addressing the body lying just an arm's length away from her. Limbs sprawled, eyes lifeless. 

She forced herself not to look away.

'Did you think I would forget?' 

She nearly laughed at the thought. Absurd. How could she ever forget a promise like that? A promise she made to –her-?

Her breath caught and her eyes were suddenly burning. Her hands clenched in reaction, digging nails into her palms, cutting through the glove material, through her own skin, and through that ridiculous impulse to cry.

Like hell was she going to cry. 

'Did you know you were going to break that promise?'

Haruka silently asked, emerald eyes dark, sharp, accusing. 

'Is that why you reminded me? Because you knew you were going to die here?'

She pictured herself screaming, her voice reverberating through the cathedral, drowning out Michiru's lingering screams with her own mindless rantings, hoping that maybe, just maybe if she raged hard enough she could will herself to move, to stand, to pick up Michiru's body and shake her, yell at her –

Anything.

If only just to touch her.

One last time.

But she could barely move, couldn't even reach out and touch the body lying just an arm's length away from her. It was taking everything she had left just to lift Eudial's gun. 

'But if you knew that this would happen ...

She closed her eyes. Fit her finger around the trigger.

'Surely you knew that I would follow.'

after

"Where did you go?"

A breath, as if coming back from a dream. Haruka glanced beside her, emerald and ocean blue touching gazes as she sat at the window, Michiru behind her, arms wrapped lightly around her. 

She took a moment to let her eyes memorize the patterns of moonlight on Michiru's face before looking away. Focusing instead on their reflection in the window.

"I was hoping to follow you into your world."

The words were out of her mouth before Haruka had fully thought them through and she quickly added to them, having felt Michiru's reaction. 

"I was wondering what it looked like. Would it be something like 'Little Mermaid'? Or would it have pictures of me everywhere?"

Michiru's arms tightened gently around her. Apparently, her tone hadn't been light enough.

"It would have simply been empty without you there."

A murmur of words, but they lodged a stone in Haruka's throat. Her hands clenched in a remembered gesture, a reaction to the stinging in her eyes.

"Then why did you leave?"

She felt Michiru tense and her own breath quicken as she fought against that ridiculous inclination to cry. 

"Why did you go where I couldn't follow?"

Emerald eyes unfocused past their reflection, tracing memories of a concrete bridge and red angels on the dark skyline. 

"I tried ... but you weren't there."

Michiru shifted and Haruka now felt the full force of her stare. 

"What do you mean, you tried?"

Shadows and moonlight flickered over the silent tableau, the tension marked by shallow breaths and the emerald refusal to meet ocean blue.

"Did something happen, after ...?"

Haruka flinched, and Michiru's voice faltered, hesitating. Then forged on.

"After Eudial shot me?"

Her body immediately tensed, twitching with the desire to run, not wanting to remember the frightening lethargy that had slowed and weighted down her body, brought on by the pain of her own headstrong weakness and failings –

The arms around her tightened. Reminding Haruka of what was here.

That Michiru was still here.

She breathed, focusing on that warmth surrounding her. Breathed in what was now. Breathed out what was then. 

Haruka told her, told Michiru of Usagi's appearance. Their argument. And what she had intended to have been her final act. 

Not expecting Michiru's question:

"Why?"

The anguish in her voice turned Haruka, emerald eyes meeting grieving ocean blue. Haruka reached out, gently touching her face in sad, late revelation.

"Don't you know? I can't live without you."

Catching Michiru in mid-breath. Watched as tears spilled from those eyes, moonlight glittering down her cheeks. 

"Nor I you."

And suddenly, Haruka understood. Why Michiru had reminded her of their promise.

It had been her way of saying ...

That it was okay to break it.

27 March 2007 - 31 March 2007 


End file.
